Chaganti's Concepts: Awed By America 2

Awed By America – 2

MIT, Harvard -The Educational eminence

What makes a nation great?

Many of us have read that “the battle of waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton”.

The public schools of England readied the great Military Generals and the Civil Servants who crafted an empire where the Sun never set, playing a pivotal role in making the nation great.

What about the US? The US of A, the most powerful country in the world owes much of its greatness to its superior technological, intellectual prowess. The prowess is powered by its incredible educational, scientific institutions. Institutions that have played a vital role in moving mankind forward.

The fact that the topmost universities in the world are American is proof, if ever needed, of that.

Boston is lucky to have two of the most revered institutes in the World, Harvard and MIT and it was a dream come true to go on a pilgrimage there.

I was even luckier that my nephew who is pursuing his Ph D at the MIT graciously accepted to be my guide.

The first stop was MIT.

As I stepped into the university area, I could sense an overwhelming power of the pursuit of knowledge emanating from every building, every landmark that I passed.

I was reminded of the memorable scene from the Telugu movie Sankarabharanam (Sur Sangam in Hindi) where the child (Jayaprada's son in Hindi) enters Sankara Sastry’s house the first time. Each step he makes in the house is a new raga, a new instrument playing, the whole house breathes music.

Every block that we passed, my nephew would throw up the name of the Nobel Laureate who worked there, works there or taught there. The most quoted, the most revered technical geniuses walked on the same lawns that we were walking on.

Passing by these buildings, we entered the sanctum sanctorum! The MIT dome.

No, you don’t find advanced calculus formulae on the wall, neither do you find the portraits of all the US Presidents who have possibly been present for the convocation.

You find a wall full of names. Of MIT students who had sacrificed their lives in the Second World War!

I walked passed the labs in awe, clicking away pics as if I were a child. For me every building, every structure spoke something.

MIT Hacks, the Tau Beta Pi (National Engineering Honor Society) Building, the infinity tunnel, the quest to make education more accessible to minorities and the underprivileged…. The dome packed too many stories.

Interestingly, MIT is not all work and no play. A few hundred metres from the dome is the Athletic track. Suffice to say, I have never seen such a track in India.

MIT also has its own sailing club, readying students to compete in one of the most participated regatta events in the world.

While bidding goodbye to the institute, I noticed something. Most students, most visitors, they were from China! Is this China’s way of invading the American Sanctum Sanctorum?

No, the day was not done yet.

Next?

Harvard, the world’s most renowned university beckoned. Contrary to my expectations, the University area was pretty small. Possibly smaller than many of our IITs.

But, it is not the size that matters, right?

We entered through a gate that had a mast head that read “Enter to grow in Wisdom”. That pretty much summed it up.

As we roamed around the university, we got transported to a medieval era. Much like Harry Potter does after the Hogwarts Express journey.

The dorms, the class rooms, the red brick buildings, the fresh air…. I truly envy the students who get to study here.

We saw groups of students and parents being taken on introductory tours. Could not figure put who was more wide eyed, the parent or the child.

Interestingly, a large church stood in the middle of the university. Again, dedicated to the students who laid down their lives during World War II. Can’t imagine any Indian University either honouring its students this way or having a temple/ church or a masjid in the campus.

Before we headed out, I had to pay obeisance to the man who conceived and executed this temple. John Harvard. His statue is a must see place in the university.

One of my favourite photographs of the trip is the one where I am standing next to the statue. Now much so ever I tried, my hands could not stretch beyond the feet of John Harvard.

Such was his stature… Legends like these have made America great.